An Israeli airstrike sparked a fire that killed 45 people in a tent city in Gaza's Rafah town, officials said on Monday, sparking outrage from world leaders who called for the implementation of a World Court ruling to stop Israel's attack. Reuters reports UNN.
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The Israeli armed forces, which are trying to destroy Hamas in Gaza, said they are investigating reports that the fire was caused by a strike they delivered to the commanders of the Islamist militant group in Rafah.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike was not intended to cause civilian casualties.
In Rafah, we have already evacuated about 1 million non-combatants, and despite all our efforts to avoid harming non-combatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong
Survivors said families were preparing for bed when the strike hit the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, where thousands have been taking refuge since Israeli forces launched a ground offensive in eastern Rafah more than two weeks ago.
The Israeli military said Sunday's strike, based on "accurate intelligence," eliminated Hamas's chief of staff in the second and larger Palestinian territory, the West Bank, as well as another official behind deadly attacks on Israelis.
This happened after the interception of eight rockets fired toward Israel from the Rafah area in southern Gaza.
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Israel is continuing its offensive despite a ruling by the UN's highest court on Friday ordering it to stop, saying the ruling gives it some room for military action. The court also reiterated calls for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas.
The United States called on Israel to pay more attention to the protection of civilians, but did not call for an end to the Rafah invasion.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged” by Israel's latest attacks.
Ізраїльський удар вразив район Рафаха після обстрілу ХАМАС27.05.24, 08:59